Policarpa Salavarrieta (english version)

Nombre	Policarpa Salvarrieta
Fecha de nacimiento	1793-1794
Nacionalidad	Colombian
Seudónimo	La Pola
Ocupación	Heroine of Independence
País de nacimiento	Vice-Royalty of the Nueva Granada, present Republic of Colombia
Ciudad de nacimiento	Guaduas, Cundinamarca.
Fecha de fallecimiento	14/11/1817
País de fallecimiento	Vice-Royalty of the Nueva Granada, present Republic of Colombia
Ciudad de fallecimiento	Bogotá

Heroine of Independence, shot in Bogotá, 14 November 1817. Policarpa Salavarrieta is undoubtedly the most popular heroine of the period of terror imposed on the Nueva Granada during the Spanish reconquest in the early nineteenth century. There is no certainty about her full name, nor about the date and place of her birth. Regarding her name, there are several sources: Her father called her Polonia in his power of attorney to issue his will, and the priest Salvador Contreras made her appear under that name when formalizing the will on 13 December 1802. However, her brother Bibiano, the closest in her affections and who was her companion in Santafé, called her Policarpa. She was also called Policarpa by Andrea Ricaurte de Lozano, in whose house she lived and in whose company she was at the time of being reduced to prison. Ambrosio Almeyda, who conspired with her and received her protection, called her Policarpa. In her false passport issued in 1817, she was called Gregoria Apolinaria. Her peers, such as Almeyda, José María Caballero, José Hilario López and Francisco Mariano Fernández, simply called her “La Pola”. However, the name with which she is best known and has subsequently been called in all posthumous tributes is Policarpa Salavarrieta.

Biography

Regarding her place of birth, there are different versions. Some claim she was born in Guaduas, while others in Mariquita or Bogotá. The most plausible dates for her birth are the years 1793, 1794 or 1795. Should we choose the last year, La Pola would have been 22 years old when she was taken to the scaffold. Doubts about the place and date of her birth and about her name are due to the fact that there is no document proving the truth of these facts. Her baptism certificate has not yet been found. Policarpa grew up in a well-off family, who had enough and was respected in the village, but did not possess any noble status. Her father, Mr. Joaquin Salavarrieta, left a will that shows him as a man of average fortune who had undertaken agricultural and commercial business. On the other hand, her mother, Mariana Rios, left in her will abundant clothes, well-priced jewels, and plentiful household utensils.

Family and childhood

The family house: The Salavarrieta Rios house in Guaduas, which is still preserved and has been converted into a museum, was not the most promising, sumptuous, or well-built house in the town, but neither was it small nor miserable. The Salavarrieta Rios family moved to Santafé in 1789. They settled in a low house of mudbrick walls and tile in the neighborhood of Santa Bárbara. In 1802, a smallpox epidemic spread in the capital, causing the death of Policarpa’s father, mother, and two of her brothers and sisters: Eduardo and María Ignacia. After this tragedy, the Salavarrieta Rios family dissolved. Jose Maria and Manuel joined the Augustinian religious community; Ramón and Francisco Antonio traveled to Tena and started working on a farm; Catarina, the eldest, decided to move back to Guaduas around 1804 with her two younger brothers: Policarpa and Bibiano. They settled in with Margarita Beltran (Manuela Beltrán’s sister) until Catarina married Domingo García and their two brothers went to live with the new couple. As for the time during which La Pola lived in Guaduas, there is little information. Apparently, she worked as a seamstress and some claim that she taught at the public school. Guaduas was then a site of forced transit between the capital and the Magdalena River, the backbone of the country. Notable travelers, products and news of all sorts of events constantly crossed the town. In times of war, Policarpa shared with her family the patriotic spirit. Her brother-in-law, Domingo García, died fighting alongside Antonio Nariño in the Southern Campaign, and her brother Bibiano was a veteran of the same campaign. Prior to 1810, it seems that Policarpa was not involved in political activities. However, in 1817, when she moved to Bogota, she was already participating in some, which shows that La Pola had begun her patriotic work in Guaduas.

Arrival to the capital and espionage work

When Policarpa and her brother Bibiano arrived in the capital, they were carrying forged safe-conducts and a letter written by Ambrosio Almeyda and José Rodríguez, leaders of the guerrillas. They stayed at the home of Andrea Ricaurte and Lozano on the recommendation of the leaders. From there, Policarpa continued her subversive activities and dangerous tasks, such as sewing for the ladies of the royalists to hear the news, finding out the number and movements of the enemy troops as well as their weapons and orders, and gathering information that was useful for the ambushes organized by the guerrillas. She also served as a guerrilla volunteer, helping her friends through difficulties. Her activities were especially linked to the guerrillas from the plains; she received and sent messages, bought war material, convinced young people individually and helped them to join the patriotic groups.

An expert in espionage, Policarpa quickly became indispensable to the patriotic cause. She always worked alongside a fellow countryman like her brother Bibiano, but her most important co-worker was Alejo Sabaraín. He had already fought alongside Nariño in the south and had been captured in 1816. He was pardoned the following year, and once free, he devoted himself to espionage. Policarpa’s activities might not have been suspicious to the royalists had it not been for the escape of the Almeyda brothers, who were captured with documents that compromised La Pola. Alejo Sabarain’s arrest was the definitive element for La Pola's capture, since he had a list of names of royalists and patriots that La Pola had given him. Until then, Policarpa had been able to move skillfully around the city because she was newly arrived and very few people knew her. Moreover, her youth and intelligence had allowed her to operate with great capacity.

Capture and death

Sergeant Iglesias, the main Spanish agent in the city, was commissioned to find her and arrest her. Policarpa was arrested at the home of Andrea Ricaurte de Lozano and reduced to a dungeon at the Colegio del Rosario. The War Council sentenced her to death on 10 November 1817 along with Sabaraín and other patriots. The time and date determined for the shooting was nine o'clock in the morning of 14 November 1817. La Pola marched between two priests. for a moment, she resisted to march, as she wanted to express her thoughts to the ministers who accompanied her. She continued with a firm step until the torture, and instead of repeating what the priests said, she did nothing but curse the Spaniards. When she was put on the bench, she was ordered to stand on her back because that was how traitors should die. Instead, she requested permission to kneel, considering that this was a more worthy position of a woman. Thus, she died showing much of her back.

Being a female body, hers was not exposed in the streets of Santafé as were those of her companions who were shot with her. Her brothers, the priests, claimed it and kept it in the church of San Agustín. The execution of Policarpa Salavarrieta, a young woman, for a political crime, moved the population and created great resistance to the terror regime imposed by Juan Sámano. While many women were also killed during the Spanish occupation, the case of La Pola captivated the popular imagination. Her death inspired poets, writers, and playwrights to immortalize her story, always highlighting her courage.

Commemorative Coin

Banco de la República, in compliance with Act 1903 of 22 June 2018, made available to the public the commemorative coin of the bicentennial of the sacrifice of the national heroine Policarpa Salavarrieta for commemorative purposes and for one time only. The coin will be available to the public from 10 January 2023.

The obverse of the coin shows the image of Policarpa Salavarrieta based on a 1855 portrait by the painter José Maria Espinosa. Known as “La Pola,” she is the most popular heroine of Colombia’s independence. She was born around 1795 and was shot in Santafé on 14 November 1817 for conspiring and spying on behalf of the patriots of the Casanare plains in the time of the Spanish reconquest campaign. Also included is the legend “POLICARPA SALAVARRIETA” and “200 YEARS OF THE HEROINE'S SACRIFICE.”

The reverse side of the coin bears the image of the house where Policarpa Salavarrieta lived in Guaduas, Cundinamarca. It is located just over a block away from the main park and its construction, on one level, with walls made of bahareque and palm roof, is testimony to the daily life of a family of medium wealth in its time.

The reverse has the following inscriptions: i) the year of authorization of the coinage, 2019; ii) a latent image as a security element that, depending on the angle from which it is viewed, will reflect the initials “BR” or the Arabic number “10”; iii) the words “Museo Casa de la Pola”; iv) the denomination of 10,000 pesos, v) the words “REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA”.

The commemorative coin, which has a face value of $10,000, is legal tender and can be used to perform any type of monetary transaction for the equivalent of its face value. This unit is plated (a copper and nickel alloy), has a 35 mm diameter and weighs 21.75 grams. The coin is delivered with a brochure containing information about its features. · Act 1903 of 22 June 2018 · Metal: Copper (75%), Nickel (25%) · Estimated weight: 21.75 grams · Diameter: 35 millimeters · Nominal value: COP 10,000 · Number of pieces minted: 20,000 coins

Bibliography

· Díaz Díaz, O. (1964). Reconquista española. Historia Extensa de Colombia, Vol. m. Academia Colombiana de Historia. Bogotá: Lerner, vol. 1, pp. 341-395. · López, J. H. (1969). Memorias. Medellín: Bedout. · Monsalve, J. D. (1926). Mujeres de la Independencia. Biblioteca de Historia Nacional. Bogotá: Academia Colombiana de Historia. · Ortega Ricaurte, E., and Restrepo Saenz, J. M. (1949). La Pola, yace por salvar la Patria. Bogotá: Archivo Nacional. · Posada, E. (1929). "Policarpa Salavarrieta". In: Rafael M. Mesa Ortíz. Colombianos Ilustres (estudios y biografías), Vol. V. Ibagué "El Meridiano," pp. 1-47.

Credits

1. Beatriz Castro C. Biography taken from the Gran Enciclopedia de Colombia published by Círculo de Lectores, book of biographies.

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